Workload Policy: Randall Library Faculty Members
REV 05-04-2014
The library faculty of William Madison Randall Library supports the mission of the University
of North Carolina Wilmington by providing information resources and learner-centered
services and by cultivating a rich physical and virtual environment dedicated to the open
exchange of ideas and an information-literate community.i Library faculty members are
hired as special faculty members (EPA) at the rank of lecturer/assistant librarian, and may
be promoted to the rank of lecturer/senior assistant librarian, and finally to the rank of
lecturer/associate librarian. Librarians are not eligible for tenure. ii Library faculty members
are expected to maintain a full workload by engaging in librarianship, research and
scholarship, and service, duties that are primarily administrative, as outlined below and are
evaluated in these areas through Randall Library’s Annual Peer Review process.iii The
Workload Policy for Randall Library Faculty Members adheres to the UNCW Academic Affairs
Workload Policy,iv the UNCW Faculty Handbook,v and the UNC Policy Manual 400.3.4:
Monitoring Faculty Teaching Workloads. vi
Librarianship
Librarianship is a broad category and is the primary duty of library faculty members, much
as the category of teaching is for tenure-track faculty.vii Librarianship includes, but is not
limited to, the following responsibilities: viii
Teaching and Research Assistance
Through teaching credit courses, information literacy instruction sessions, and
workshops; providing assistance at the Learning Commons Help Desk;
offering one-on-one research consultations; and collaborating with teaching
faculty to create curricula that meets information literacy competency
standards;
Providing Access to Information and Collections
Through developing and managing collections; cataloging materials;
developing and maintaining systems and services for information access such
as circulation and interlibrary loan; creating and maintaining library webpages
and tools; digitizing collections; curating exhibits; and delivering both
academic and cultural programs to the campus community and community at
large;
Planning, Management and Administration
Through overseeing business and operations of the library and the Curriculum
Materials Center including budgeting, scheduling, maintaining and evaluating
physical facilities and equipment; strategic planning and assessment;
obtaining funding from outside sources; and developing policies, procedures,
and programs to ensure responsive and effective library services and
collections.
Research and Scholarship
Library faculty members are expected to remain current with research and best practices in
their field(s) and to generate new knowledge through individual and collaborative research.
Library faculty members are expected to engage in scholarly communication through
presentations at local, regional, national, or international conferences, meetings, or other
events and through publications as writers or editors in professional and academic
publications in their field and related fields. Library faculty members are encouraged to seek
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grant opportunities, engage in creative endeavors such as exhibits, and enhance their
education through workshops, coursework, additional degrees, or certifications.
Service
Library faculty members are expected to provide service to the library, university, and the
community at large. Such service generally includes participation on library committees,
university-wide committees, and assistance in supporting the functions and purposes of the
university. Library faculty members are also expected to provide service to professional and
scholarly organizations by holding memberships in professional and scholarly organizations
and actively participating through committee work, leadership, and other service to these
organizations. By virtue of the library's openness to the general public, community service
contributions are made on a daily basis by library faculty members as part of the library's
routine services. Other community service contributions by library faculty members include
both those related to librarianship and other voluntary efforts that enhance the quality of
life in the community. It is also appropriate for library faculty members to serve in an
educational advisory or informational capacity at the local, regional, state, national, and
international levels. This service should ordinarily be an outgrowth of professional training
and/or one's affiliation with the university. Examples of such activities include conducting
workshops, consulting, and serving on advisory boards with or without compensation.
Expectations
A full workload is the sum of participation in librarianship, research and scholarship, and
service.ix The following guidelines have been established to help balance demands and
responsibilities for library faculty productivity and success.
Full-time library faculty members will have a full workload reflective of a 1.0 FTE or
100% requirement that is the sum of the faculty member’s librarianship,
research/scholarship, and service activities. Not all library faculty members will have
assignments in each of these areas; regardless, the total workload (barring an
assigned overload) must total 1.0 FTE (100%) though possibly with significant
variations in assignment expectations among the various workload categories.
Library faculty members will have a full workload equivalent to the teaching
assignment for faculty members of 12 credit hours. Routinely expected duties such
as advising, committee work, and professional development are in addition to that
teaching-load equivalent.
Approximately 70% of library faculty workloads should be devoted to librarianship,
10% should be devoted to research and scholarship, and 20% should be devoted to
service;
All library faculty members, excluding the University Librarian, are required to
provide weekly or bi-weekly reference assistance on the Learning Commons Help
Desk;
Library faculty members must adhere to university and state policies for any work
commitments that generate salary from external sources.
Variations in the Workload
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Supervisors of library faculty members in consultation with the University Librarian have the
flexibility to alter and shape the general distribution of workload as described above
depending on the business and operational needs of the library and/or university and the
particular strengths and contributions of the library faculty members involved. For example,
significant increases in service to the library or university (e.g. a library faculty member who
is chairing a university committee associated with a major university initiative) may require
a decrease in the number of hours dedicated to librarianship (e.g. a temporary decrease in
the number of hours a library faculty member serves on the Learning Commons Help Desk
each week). Prior to the beginning of each academic year, each library faculty member will
discuss his or her workload with his or her supervisor in connection to the library faculty
member’s stated goals for the upcoming academic year. In cases where additional service,
scholarship, research, or education primarily benefits the individual faculty member rather
than the library or the university, the library faculty member will be asked to use time
outside of the normal work week to complete associated activities.
Evaluation of Workload
Library faculty members and supervisors of library faculty members are required to actively
monitor and report specific information regarding the workload of the faculty as outlined in
the Annual Peer Review Policy & Procedure.x
i
Randall Library Mission Statement and Goals (http://library.uncw.edu/facts_planning/mission)
Employment Policy for Library Faculty (http://library.uncw.edu/policies/employment_policy_library_faculty)
iii
Randall Library Annual Peer Review Policy & Procedure
(HTTP://LIBRARY.UNCW.EDU/POLICIES/ANNUAL_PEER_REVIEW_POLICY_PROCEDURE)
iv
Academic Affairs Workload Policy (http://uncw.edu/aa/Policies_Reports/FacultyWorkload_Policy.html)
v
UNCW Faculty Handbook, Chapter IV: Faculty Employment
(http://www.uncw.edu/facsen/documents/Faculty_Handbook.pdf)
vi
UNC Policy Manual 400.3.4: Monitoring Faculty Teaching Workloads
(http://www.northcarolina.edu/policy/index.php?pg=vs&id=s14487)
vii
Academic Librarianship and the Redefining Scholarship Project
(http://www.ala.org/acrl/publications/whitepapers/academiclibrarianship)
viii
Association of College and Research Libraries Joint Statement on Faculty Status of College and University
Librarians (http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/jointstatementfaculty)
ix
Association of College and Research Libraries Standards for Faculty Status for Academic Librarians
(http://www.ala.org/acrl/standards/standardsfaculty)
x
Randall Library Annual Peer Review Policy & Procedure
(http://library.uncw.edu/policies/annual_peer_review_policy_procedure)
ii
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